It would be a cliché to talk about how, despite the progress that has been made, prejudice is still an unfortunate fact of our society. It would also be a cliché to talk about the problems in our justice system. Thus, imagine how unoriginal it would be to talk about how prejudice can inform and exacerbate those problems. So I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to direct you to the Paradise Lost documentary trilogy. They tell the story of the West Memphis Three: three youths who were convicted of brutal child murders. They were “alternative;” they wore black and were into metal, and their small town didn't much care for their type. However, evidence was flimsy and the first documentary, produced by HBO, led to a public outcry for their release and the case to be reopened. This was followed by two sequels as their story progressed. These are excellent films and are highly recommended.

The point today, however, is to tell you about another documentary now screening at Village 8 as part of the Louisville Exclusives series: The Central Park Five. In 1989, a woman jogging in Central Park was attacked and raped. The police picked up five suspects – five youths, four black and one latino – and they were convicted of the crime. However, they were innocent – it was treated as an open-and-shut case and responsibility was neglected. This new documentary by Ken Burns tells the story.

The Central Park Five is scheduled to run at Village 8 until Thursday, February 7, but this is subject to extension. Village 8 is located at 4014 Dutchmans Lane. Further theater information and showtimes can be found at the Village 8 website.

Image: Internet Movie Database